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Posts tagged ‘Buckwheat’

I love banana bread! Not only does it taste amazingly good, but it’s also a very efficient way to use up those super ripe bananas that you inevitably end up with week after week. Well, if you’re like me, that is, and buy bananas every week but only eat them when they are a beautiful bright yellow and then completely lose interest in them as soon as they start to develop the tiniest of brown spots… although I have gotten much better and now eat my bananas a lot riper than I used to, because I know they are in fact better for me when they are good and ripe. But still, I must end up throwing at least one, if not two per week in the freezer to use in smoothies or banana bread, mini loaves or muffins.

Up until now, I’ve always used the same recipe, but this week, I decided to play with the Pumpkin, Rasberry and Buckwheat Loaves recipe and to turn it into a More Power Walnut, Carob and Banana Bread.

Basically all I did is replace the pumpkin puree with banana puree. It took 3 bananas to make the required cup and a half.

Of course, I left the cinnamon, ginger and all spice out of the equation. Oh, and I added 100g of carob chips, which ended up being an enormous waste of time, since they all sunk right to the bottom, and I think they also decided to gang up and have a little party right in the middle of the loaf!

I mean, look how sad! All you can see in the picture is a mere dark spot, a lonely chip that got lost or something… I guess when I get more towards the other end of the bread, I will get a mega dose of crazy happy carob chips all bunched up together!

They’re probably having a good laugh right now at this great prank that they pulled on me.

Maybe next time I will use a little bit less milk to make the batter a tad on the firmer side, that way, the carob chips won’t get to sink that much. Still, the loaf has a very good texture as it is, so you can feel free to go ahead and use that exact recipe.

If you are the kind of person who loves their toasts in the morning, this makes for an absolutely gorgeous breakfast. Just cut a couple of slices and pop them in the toaster, then spread some good all natural peanut or almond butter on them.

Of course, this would also make an excellent afternoon snack!

INGREDIENTS(for one large banana bread)

WET

¾ cup buttermilk

¾ cup soy milk

3 eggs

½ cup egg whites

1½ cup banana puree

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

DRY

120g vanilla flavored whey protein powder

1½ cup buckwheat flour

1/3 cup black chia seeds

2 tsp baking powder

ADD-INS

100g carob chips (entirely NOT necessary!)

75g walnuts, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425F and line loaf pan with parchment paper

In a large mixing bowl, mix wet ingredients together and whisk until well combined.

In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients and whisk until well combined. Add wet ingredients and stir until well incorporated. Fold in carob chips and nuts. Mix to combine, no more.

Pour batter into loaf pan. Put them in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 375.

Cook for 40-45min until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan then cool completely on a cooling rack.

This continues my series of posts on healthy breakfasts over at In The Know Mom

I don’t know about you but I am an incorrigible muffin junkie. I LOOOOOVE muffins. Absolutely A-D-O-R-E them. I have no self-control whatsoever when in the presence of warm, fresh out of the oven muffins.

Now I’m not talking about wanna be muffins that are nothing more than cupcakes in disguise… You know which ones I am talking about: those light, airy, delicate cupcakey“muffins” with flavours such as butterscotch pecan, strawberry cheesecake, white chocolate cranberry, double dark chocolate chips, blueberry streusel, or raspberry crunch… nah… those aren’t muffins.

I am talking real muffins, made with oats or bran, the ones that are real dense and heavy and satisfying. The ones that want to lure you into believing that they are actually good for you but are in fact way too high in fat and sugar to be called healthy.

Well, if you’re like me, then you will be thankful for this next recipe! I had been looking for something like this for a long time, so when I saw Leanne’s post for a Raspberry Pumpkin Buckwheat Bake, I knew I had to try it!

I adapted the recipe somewhat and made them into mini loaves instead of cakes. All I can say is WOW! These mini loaves really deliver! Not only do they taste super good, they are in fact extremely healthy. They contain a good amount of protein, thanks to the addition of whey protein powder, and are relatively low in fat and sugar.

They are the perfect on the go breakfast and would also make an excellent afternoon snack. I know I will be playing with this one A LOT and create all sorts of different flavours.

I love buckwheat pancakes. I remember when I was a kid, my dad used to make huge batches, like millions of them, and as soon as he’s have a few ready, he’d call us: “Y a des galettes de prêtes!” (meaning: some pancakes are ready) We’d all come running and sat down to devour them with loads of molasses while he stood at the stove and kept them coming for as long as we’d eat. Buckwheat pancake mornings always felt like party to me, they made me so happy. Maybe that’s why I still love them so much to this day.

Funny thing is I’m the one making the pancakes now, but I do things a little differently. I only serve them when I’m done cooking the whole batch, save for my dad. As soon as the second one is ready, I serve it to him. Why the second? Because the first one, for some strange reason, never comes out quite right. And my dad only deserves the very best. No way he’s getting that second grade first pancake. And if he wants another one when he’s done eating the first, he gets the next fresh one that comes out of the pan. Molasses gets drizzled very lightly on both sides of the pancake, then I swish it around to get it to soak all the way through. That’s how he likes it.

Of course, buckwheat and molasses is a match made in heaven, a classic! But I am discovering more and more winning combinations. For example, during Lent, I decided that molasses was off limits, too sweet, so I tried almond butter and bananas! YUM! So good! The following, however, would be one of my favorites: Apples, cinnamon and cheese. Just feast your eyes… you’ll more than likely share my opinion!

Buckwheat pancakes(yields 3-4 large pancakes)

1 cup buckwheat flour

2 cups water

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

Instructions

In large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add water slowly, whisking constantly, until the batter is very smooth. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (or make the day before and leave in the refrigerator overnight).

Pour desired amount of batter in a very hot pan or cast iron skillet coated with cooking spray. Wait until pancake starts to set and bottom is nice and golden then flip. Continue cooking until bottom is golden then transfer to plate.

Repeat process until you’re out of batter.

Apples

You need approximately one apple per pancake. Simply peel and dice the apples, then cook them in a skillet over medium heat until they start to soften. If you’re like me, you’ll want to add lots of cinnamon!

Assembly

To assemble, put pancakes nice side down on a plate. Spread about ½ cup low fat cottage cheese in the center, top that with cooked apples and fold each side towards the center.